Pain in Pregnancy – My 30 Week Update

Pregnancy – My 30 Week Update

Pain in Pregnancy – My Experiences

The last 5 weeks have dragged so much, I have been in a lot of pain over the last couple of weeks, which is what this update will be about.

At around 26 weeks I started experiencing some typical pregnancy symptoms including, Braxton Hicks, balling up and a very tight pregnant belly. As well as the usual aches and heartburn. These symptoms were manageable, and I thought I was coping pretty well with them.

Extreme upper abdominal pain

At 29 weeks one night I was rolling around the living room floor in agony, and the pain was making me vomit. I have a high tolerance for pain, so when I was reduced to tears, my other half knew I was in severe pain. The pain came on so rapidly one night, starting in my back, radiating around to the top of my belly bump and down my sides. This felt nothing like contractions and I had no idea what had triggered the pain. I could not take much more of the pain, so I decided to go into the maternity assessment unit just to get checked out.

My blood pressure spiked to 149/88 which is very high for me. The doctors ran lots of blood tests, urine samples and checked baby out on the CTG monitor. All of which came back normal. So I was not in labor, no infections and no pre-eclampsia. They also ruled out heart burn and indigestion.

The doctors were stumped, and I was still in pain, paracetamol was not working and even if I changed my position or went for a walk the pain still persisted. The doctors ran more blood tests in case they had missed something, but again these came back normal.

They finally decided that it could be due to me carrying big for my height (I am only 5’2) and I am literally all bump and far bigger than I was with my last two at full term! I also have a lot of amniotic fluid which they are keeping an eye on. They think that at some point I have ripped the muscles surrounding my rib cage and they think baby may be pressing on my diaphragm.

Coping with Severe Pain in Pregnancy

There has been a few point over the last week where I have just had enough of being in pain, and not being able to do things. Constant chronic pain really gets you down at times, it also makes me extremely tired. I am just trying to rest as much as possible and enjoy the good times with my other two babies. We have their birthdays coming up over the next two months so I am hoping planning their parties will help me take my mind off feeling like crap!

The pain is still making me sick, and I am finding it hard to eat anything, so I have tried to stick to foods that won’t make me feel full. Salads, soups and yogurts. I have noticed that I have lost some weight this week so will need to keep an eye on that in the weeks to come. Staying hydrated is important too, especially when vomiting and in this hot weather we are having at the moment.

There isn’t much I can do until baby is born and hope that this pain goes away once she is here. I have been put on modified bed rest, which basically means no heavy lifting, or housework that involves the use of the muscles around my ribs and belly bump. I am trying to limit how much I pick my other two children up, and rest when I can.

They have also given me a painkiller called dihydrocodiene which they use a lot for pain in pregnancy (the risks to baby from taking this a minimal), I hate taking any medication but this does bring me some relief for a couple of hours a day.

Has anyone else experienced this or something similar in their pregnancies?

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